Broadreach

Purpose of the position (based in Free State or Mpumalanga)

The Senior Technical Advisor, Health Systems Strengthening (HSS) will provide overall technical leadership and expertise on the design and implementation of a large-scale USAID-funded program focused on prevention, care and treatment of HIV/TB in South Africa. As part of the project’s senior leadership team, they will be responsible for ensuring that the technical direction of the project is evidence-driven, integrates the latest technical and scientific developments, and advances the achievement of the project’s goals and objectives. The Senior Technical Advisor will develop implementation strategies and tools in line with national and global standards and good practices, building the capacity of team members and partners to implement them, and promote continuous learning and quality improvement to strengthen health systems and HIV/TB service delivery in health facilities and communities. Reporting to the Chief of Party (COP), they will foster close coordination and technical alignment among program teams, partners, and monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) efforts to maximize impact and program efficiency. 

This position is contingent upon funding.

Key Accountabilities

• Provide technical oversight and direction of activities to enhance local ownership and leadership and improve health systems at the provincial, district, facility, and community levels.
• Lead the design and implementation of the project’s HSS interventions focused on human resources for health, supply chains, laboratory systems, health information systems, quality improvement, and leadership and governance.
• Develop and oversee strategies for delivering targeted technical assistance (TA) and capacity building for DOH counterparts at all levels of the health system, working in close collaboration with the COP, DOH, and USAID to prioritize support needs.
• Provide technical expertise to support district, provincial and national planning and the development of relevant guidelines and processes.
• Supervise and support a team of technical staff delivering specialized HSS TA, and work closely with MEL and program staff to gauge the effectiveness of this TA.
• Support the development of evidence-driven project strategies and workplans as well as monitoring of the project in collaboration with the Government of South Africa, USAID, and other implementing partners.
• Work with the COP to identify the capacity strengthening needs of staff and partners and provide quality assurance, technical training, coaching and mentoring.
• Ensure the project is technically sound, evidence-based and responsive to the needs of the target population, and ensure a comprehensive and contextualized approach integrating gender, inclusion and protection mainstreaming.
• Support collection and analysis of project data, capture and share lessons learned and best practices, and contribute to the project learning agenda and adaptive management.
• Maintain relationships with USAID, partners, private sector actors, media, and research institutions and participate in forums in related to HIV/TB and other health systems issues to collect and share best practices and promote the project’s work.
• Represent the project at national and regional technical work groups.
• Deliver recommendations on technical assistance and systems strengthening to enhance program effectiveness and sustainability.

Qualifications

Essential qualifications 

• Advanced degree in medicine, public health, nursing or other relevant field, preferably with a specialization in epidemiology or infectious disease

Desirable qualifications

• A Medical degree in a clinical discipline or PhD in public health or related field, with significant project management experience preferred.

Experience & Skills

• A minimum of 7 years’ experience in the design and implementation of HIV and/or HSS programs and in technical leadership positions.
• Demonstrated strong technical knowledge and experience in at least three the following areas: human resources for health, supply chain management, quality improvement for management and delivery of HIV and TB services, laboratory systems, health information systems, sub-national planning cycles, multi-sectoral coordination, and health system leadership and governance.
• Experience delivering TA, capacity building, and mentorship to government and non-governmental counterparts at all levels of the health system
• Proven exceptional leadership in design, management, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation, with skills in strategic planning, management, supervision, and budgeting, with experience supporting complex USAID-funded projects preferred.
• Experience managing and supervising technical staff, including management of geographically dispersed teams.
• Strong communication skills to fulfill the program’s diverse technical and managerial requirements and effectively coordinate with various stakeholders. Experience in a role requiring collaboration with complex internal and external organizations, as well as a demonstrated ability to coordinate with the DOH, USG implementing partners, and other relevant partners across all levels of health care system
• Previous experience working in South Africa, with an understanding of the local health system and solid relationships at relevant government agencies. South African nationals strongly preferred.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills as well as strong public presentation skills, including the ability to represent the project to key stakeholders.
• Ability to produce results and meet all deliverables and targets in a timely manner.
• Ability to travel locally and internationally.
• Proficient in MS Office (Word, Excel and PowerPoint)